Classic celebration cake – Gluten-free, Dairy-free

Ollie

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This is a simple celebration cake for all occasions, made with classic components: Génoise type sponge, classic crème mousseline, and a lemon curd glaze.

Génoise is an essential tool in any pastry chef’s toolbox. It is a classic in its own right. It is used as a base for all types of celebration cakes, jellyrolls, elegantly decorated petit fours, and a wide range of desserts. It is the most versatile and widely used type of French cake. It is a true sponge cake; it is simply trapped air. A good Génoise is fine textured, yet strong, or firm, and tender at the same time. The purpose of a Génoise type sponge is to support other elements and flavours. It is perfect for unlimited dessert creations. Traditionally, desserts built using a foundation of Génoise are delicate and refined, just as a classic should be.

A classic crème mousseline is a pastry cream that has been whipped with soft butter until it is lighter and more structured. It tends to be used when the cream component of the recipe needs to stand, or hold up, such as when a cake is cut.

The Lemon curd glaze is made with lemon curd and a simple syrup with added pectin. When chilled, the pectin causes the curd to shine, as well as to set, or rise, up; the latter facilitates the cutting of smooth slices. This is a spreadable, rather than a pourable, glaze.

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Both the Lemon curd and simple syrup with added pectin are considered store items; if these are not available, they will need to be made in advance.

The crème mousseline is made dairy free with the use of Hemp milk.

This recipe makes a two layer 23cm (9in) diameter Classic celebration cake.

Ingredients:
Génoise type sponge 2 layers
Classic crème mousseline filling
Lemon curd glaze

Day 0
If the Lemon curd and simple syrup with added pectin are not available, they will need to be made first. Otherwise, proceed to the Day activities.

Lemon curd
This recipe is based upon that given on Shirl Gard’s blog (Lemon Curd) and the method is further influenced with that given in both Sherry Yard’s book, The Secrets of Baking, (New York, Houghton Mifflin, 2003), and that in Pfeiffer J, with Shulman M R’s book, The Art of French Pastry, (New York, Alfred E Knopf, 2015). Shirl Gard’s recipe itself is adapted from that of Nick Malgieri, who in 1992 was the director of the Professional Pastry Program at Peter Kump’s New York Cooking School.

This Lemon Curd is a rich, silky-smooth and intensely-flavoured lemon custard, with a thick jam-like consistency. This is due to the amount of lemon juice used, along with the amount of zest, as the lemon zest contains the essential oils that give lemons their flavour. The amount of butter used ensures a creamy texture. Early lemon curd recipes contained copious amounts of sugar to reduce the chances of the ‘custard’ curling (the eggs scrambling), as sugar slows the setting of eggs and thus the chances of coagulation; this recipe is more balanced and with care the chances of curdling are reduced.

To get the best results it is essential that the lemons are bright yellow in colour, fresh and plump, and completely yellow indicating that they are ripe. Note that all ingredients need to be at room temperature before being used. Lemons, and other fruits, zest best when they are cold, such as straight out of a refrigerator. Whilst for juicing, they are best at used at room temperature.

Ingredients: (enough for 2 jars holding 270g each)
Lemon zest 4 large lemons
Lemon juice 170g
Cane sugar 170g
Egg yolks 8 large eggs
Butter (softened) 115g

Method:
Place the lemons to be zested in a refrigerator overnight. Take the butter to be used out of the refrigerator, cut into cubes and leave to softened to room temperature overnight.

Using a microplane (it produces the finest size of zest), zest the four lemons, and set the zest aside.
Take a lemon and place it horizontally on the work surface, with the palm of the hand press down and roll the lemon about to help the lemon to give up more of its juice. Repeat with the other lemons.
Cut the lemons in half; using a lemon juicer, press, reamer, or squeezer, extract 170g lemon juice and set aside.

Separate the eggs and set the yolks aside in a small bowl (1) (keep the egg whites in a refrigerator for other uses).

In a small bowl (2), add the cane sugar and zest; using a hand whisk, blend the two together.

In a small bowl (3), add the lemon juice and half of the sugar-zest (bowl 2) and whisk together to incorporate.

Lightly break up the egg yolks (bowl (1)) using a fork and lightly whisk together, add the other half of the sugar-zest (bowl 2) and whisk together for at least 30 seconds, ensuring that the sugar is all covered and incorporated (otherwise the sugar and lemon will clump and their acidity may coagulate the egg yolks).

Scoop the egg-sugar-zest mix (bowl 1) into the sugar-zest-juice mix (bowl 3) and beat in to incorporate.
Pour the resultant mixture into a medium sized stainless-steel saucepan (4) with a heavy bottom and place it over medium heat, whisk for 15 seconds to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat to medium low and place a either a probe thermometer, or a sugar thermometer in the pan; add the cubed softened butter and stir constantly with a wooden spoon. Stir in a figure of eight motion, keeping the spoon in constant contact with the bottom of the saucepan, going into the corners as well in an alternative motion to the figure of eight. Heat the lemon ‘custard’ to a maximum of 81°C, and maintain that temperature by taking the saucepan on and off the heat as required, still stirring all of the time. Continue cooking gently until the lemon curd mixture thickens to a firm-set. This will take approximately 10 minutes, or until on running a finger along the base of the wooden spoon leaves a mark or a gap that does not close back (the nappe stage). Immediately remove from the heat and strain the mixture through a fine meshed sieve into two storage jars.
Using an immersion, or stick blender carefully blend the lemon curd in the jars, to fully emulsify the curd. Cover the surface airtight with clingfilm and allow to cool to room temperature. Then screw on the lids.

The lemon curd may be stored in a refrigerator for one week, or a freezer for one month. To use, defrost overnight and stir before use.

Simple syrup with added pectin
This recipe is given by Shirl Gard on her blogsite, shirlgard.com, for a Simple Pectin Glaze.

Ingredients:
Cane sugar 200g
Powdered pectin 10g
Water 200g (boiled)

Method:
In a small bowl (1) whisk together the cane sugar and pectin.

In the saucepan (2) of boiled water, gradually add the sugar-pectin mixture to the boiling water, whisking constantly. Continue cooking the syrup for two minutes.

Pour the syrup into a storage jar and place a lid on top, loosely. This will allow the steam to rise up and hit the lid and condense; the condensed steam will fall back on to the surface of the syrup, forming a thin layer of water that will prevent the syrup from crystallizing. Allow the syrup to cool, at room temperature, for 2 hours; then seal the lid.

The simple syrup with pectin, or simple pectin glaze will keep for up to 3 months at room temperature.

Day
This is concerned with: making the Génoise type sponge layers; the classic crème mousseline filling; assembling the cake with the filling; making the Lemon curd glaze; applying the glaze; and, if required, applying any decoration.

Génoise
This Gluten-free recipe is for a round génoise. It is based upon the Gluten recipes of: Shirley Corriher (BakeWise); Bruce Healy and Paul Bugat (The Art of the Cake, and Mastering the Art of French Pastry); Jacquy Pfeiffer (The Art of French Pastry); and Sherry Yard (The Secrets of Baking).

It will be noted that in the recipe below that extra egg yolks are added to the whole eggs. This is to obtain the stable egg foam needed to produce a successful génoise. The reasoning as given by E J Pyler in Baking Science and Technology (as quoted in BakeWise) is that modern eggs may be deficient in yolk proteins so it is common practice to add 20 – 50% more yolks to improve both aerating ability and foam stability. Also, E B Bennion states in The Technology of Cake Making (again quoted in BakeWise) that the best quantity of yolks to add is 20% for similar reasons. On top of this there are two approximate rules for génoise recipes: the weight of the flour and sugar to be close to equal; and the amount of sugar to be less than 1.25 of the weight of the eggs. This recipe falls within both guidelines, with the ratio of sugar to eggs being 0.55; well below the 1.25 limit.

Ingredients: (makes two 23cm (9in) round génoise layers)
Gluten-free flour mix* 225g
Cane sugar 220g (11 + 209g)
Eggs 398g (7 Large plus 3 yolks)
Butter 45g (sliced and cubed)

*Gluten-free flour mix: 440g Brown Rice flour, 125g Sweet Rice flour, 45g Potato starch, 95g Tapioca starch, and 55g Arrowroot. Total weight: 760g

Method:
Lightly grease two 23cm (9in) round cake pans (3.5cm (1 3/8in) high) with softened butter. Line the bottom and the sides up to the top of the pan with parchment paper, and then lightly grease with softened butter.

Adjust a rack to the middle of the oven, and preheat the oven to 190°C for 45 minutes.

Sift the gluten-free flour mix into a medium sized bowl (1), add in 1Tbsp (11g) cane sugar, and whisk to incorporate. This is to help later when folding in the flour with the whipped egg mixture; it will make it easier. Set aside.

If adding the optional butter, fill a medium saucepan (2) with about 5cm (1in) of water and over medium heat bring to a simmer. Place a small bowl (3) on top containing the sliced and cubed butter. Using a metal dessert spoon, melt the butter, when it is approximately three quarters melted, remove the bowl from the heat and continue to stir to completion. Set aside.

Rinse a stand mixing bowl (4) with hot tap water to warm it, then dry well.

If not already done so, fill a medium saucepan (2) with about 5cm (1in) of water and over medium heat bring to a simmer.

Add the eggs and yolks to the warm mixing bowl (4) and break the yolks with either a fork or a whisk; add the rest of the cane sugar and whisk to combine for a minimum of 30 seconds. Then, place the warm, filled mixing bowl (4) on top of the saucepan (2) containing the simmering water; turn the heat to low. If whipping by hand, tilt the mixing bowl forward, almost horizontal, and sweep the whisk around the bottom of the bowl, with each revolution lifting the whole of the mass of egg mix to incorporate air into the process. If using a hand-held mixer, use a similar process. Whisk continuously for 4 – 5 minutes, or until the egg mix reaches a temperature of 40°C and the mix is frothy and pale yellow.

Remove the filled mixer bowl (4) from the double boiler and wipe the bottom dry. Place the filled bowl on a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, or use an electric mixer. Whip at medium speed for 12 – 17 minutes, until the egg-sugar mixture is three times the original volume, is thick, is almost white in colour, and is completely cool to a finger dipped in it. During the last 4 – 5 minutes of whisking stop from time to time to check the ribbon thickness when dropped from the whisk. There will be some definition of it in the filled bowl, it will initially stay on top of the mixture before spreading slightly and slowly flattening as it dissolves into the mass of whipped egg-sugar mix.

Turn the speed down to the lowest, then drizzle in the cooled, yet liquid, melted butter (bowl 3) and mix for 15 seconds until incorporated. If the butter has cooled too much and it is no longer liquid, place it in a microwave oven and briefly heat to liquify.

Sift a quarter of the Gluten-free flour mix over the top of the whipped egg-sugar mix, avoiding the edges of the bowl. Imagine a clockface. Gently immerse a whisk vertically into the foam, facing forward at the 12 o’clock position and drag it across the bottom of the bowl. At the 6 o’clock position, lift up the whisk, and with it a large dollop of the mix, turn it over and spread it across the top of the sifted flour, folding the flour into the mix. Rotate the mixer bowl one quarter turn, sift another quarter of the flour mix and fold again. Repeat with the third batch of flour, and again with the last quarter of sifted four mix and folding that in to fully incorporate the flour into the cake batter.

Pour and scrape the cake batter into the prepared cake pans, filling them to between two thirds and three quarters of their height. Tap each pan lightly on the worksurface a few times to eliminate any air bubbles. Then, smooth the surface of the batter with a spatula, pushing it out to the sides to make a slight depression in the centre.

Place the filled cake pan on a baking sheet on the middle shelf of a preheated oven and bake for 15 – 25 minutes, or until the génoise is golden brown, starts to pull away slightly from the sides of the pan, and is firm to the touch. As an additional test, place the tip of a paring knife in the centre of the cake, and if it comes out wet yet clean, the génoise is done. If it doesn’t, bake for a further 5 – 10 minutes.

Remove the génoise from the oven, place it on a wire cooling rack, and slide the tip of a paring knife between the edge of the génoise and the cake pan; to fully loosen the edge, if necessary. Let the génoise cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Unmould the génoise on to another wire cooling rack covered with a sheet of parchment paper. Remove the parchment paper that the génoise was baked on and cool right side up for at least 2 hours before using.

Génoise may be kept at room temperature for up to 2 days, or covered airtight in a fridge for 2 days too. Alternatively freeze for up to 2 weeks in a freezer. If frozen, defrost overnight in a refrigerator, then unwrap the génoise for at least 2 hours before using.

Classic Crème Mousseline
The Classic Crème Mousseline recipe is based upon the recipe for a Classic Crème Mousseline given in Baking, (Berkeley, Ten Speed Press, 2009) by Peterson J. The method is heavily influenced by that of Healy B, and Bugat P in The Art of the Cake, (New York, William Marrow and Company, Inc, 1999). The method uses the less popular way of creating a crème mousseline, that of creaming the warm butter before adding the room temperature pastry cream. This method is less prone to curdling, looking grainy or splitting. However, if that should occur, guidelines are given for overcoming this effect.

Ingredients: (enough for one generous layer in a 23cm (9in) cake)
Butter (room temp, chopped) 170g
Cane Sugar 50g
Eggs 64g (1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk)
Cornstarch 2Tbsp plus 1 1/2tsp
Hemp milk 240g
Vanilla essence 1/2tsp
Gelatin (approximately 1 sheet (2.5g) per 120g of wet mix)

Method:
Take the butter out of the refrigerator, at least 30 minutes before use, and bring it up to room temperature.

In a large bowl (1) add sugar, egg, and yolk, and whisk together for at least 30 seconds (otherwise the egg yolks will burn due to the acid in the sugar), to form a smooth, lemon coloured mixture. Whisk in the cornstarch until the mixture is smooth.
In a small saucepan (2) over medium heat, add the Hemp milk and Vanilla essence, and bring the milk to a gentle simmer, yet avoid boiling.
Turn off the heat. Slowly pour half of the hot milk (saucepan 2) into the egg mixture (bowl 1) and stir constantly with a wire whisk. This is called tempering, and is a method of easing two components with widely different temperatures to cook together and prevent premature coagulation: to control the rate of protein folding and reconnecting.
Pour the resultant mixture (2) back into the saucepan (1) containing the remaining hot milk mixture and whisk together to combine.
Turn heat back on to medium-low, for even unfolding and reconnection of the egg proteins, and stir the pastry cream mixture with a wooden spoon until it is thoroughly blended and smooth. Make sure that wooden spoon reaches everywhere - bottom, sides, and corners, so that the mixture does not burn. Keep the spoon in constant motion. Once you sense that the mixture is slightly thick on the bottom of the saucepan (look at bottom of spoon), remove it from the heat. Once the mixture has reached 75 – 77°C the egg proteins reattach and solidify. Heating above 77°C will result in an ‘eggy’ taste to the custard. The thickened mixture should thickly coat the back of the wooden spoon.
Off heat, continue stirring the pastry cream mixture for a further minute, until the mixture is thick, smooth and uniform (this allows a slow and even coagulation of the eggs and will produce a creamy texture).
Return the saucepan to the heat and cook for a further 1 – 2 mins to overcome any resultant starch flavour.

If using gelatin sheets, bloom them in a bowl (4) of cold water for approximately 10 minutes until softened. Drain off the water from the gelatin sheets. Melt the gelatin in a microwave oven for 2 – 3 x 10 second bursts on full power.
If using gelatin powder, place 2tsp of powder into a small bowl (4), add 4Tbsp of cold water, whisk quickly so that all of the granules are surrounded by water, or clusters will appear. After 5 minutes of whisking, the mixture should bloom and become spongy; then allow to thicken for 5 minutes. To melt, either use the method above for gelatin sheets, or, stand the bowl in another, larger bowl (5) of hot water and stir until all the gelatin is dissolved. Cool slightly.

Drizzle the melted gelatin into the fruit pastry cream mixture (bowl 2) and whisk until well-mixed.

Line a baking tray with clingfilm, and pour the pastry cream into this, ensuring that it is thinner than 5cm (2in) in thickness. Allow the pastry cream to cool to room temperature. Check the bottom of the baking tray, it is cool when the bottom of the baking tray feels cold. To speed up the process, cover with another sheet of clingfilm and place in a refrigerator. The pastry cream should be thick, creamy, and smooth, indicating that the fat, in the butter, milk, and eggs, has been properly emulsified with the water in the milk and eggs.

Remove the top layer of the clingfilm. Using a rubber, or silicon spatula roll up the pastry cream to one end of the baking tray and scoop into a bowl.

If not already at room temperature, bring the Pastry cream up to room temperature, this will take approximately 30 minutes.

In the bowl (3) of a stand mixer add the sliced and cubed butter, fit the mixer with a whisk or flat paddle attachment (a flat paddle type attachment will produce a smoother mousseline with fewer bubbles). To fully aerate the butter, and thus establish a stable emulsion when the custard is added, beat at medium speed until it is smooth, pale in colour, and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. At the slowest speed, slowly add in the cooled custard (one tablespoon at a time), beating until the cream is light and creamy. Beat for a further 3 – 4 minutes, at the end, until it is totally homogeneous and creamy.

If the crème mousseline looks grainy, or splits, there are a few measures to regain a smooth crème mousseline. First, using the flat paddle attachment, beat for a further 5 minutes at medium speed until smooth. This will help in warming up the butter and allowing the pastry cream to cool; bringing both to a similar temperature. If that is unsuccessful, place the mixing bowl over low heat for 15 – 20 seconds (to get a little of the crème mousseline to melt), then beat again for 5 minutes. This may need repeating once or twice to get the mousseline smooth.

Use immediately, or keep, tightly covered with clingfilm, in a refrigerator for up to three days. To use, bring up to room temperature and whip the mousseline first, so that it can aerate.

Once cool, and if not using immediately, cover the surface with wax paper, or buttered parchment paper (this will ensure that the pastry cream does not form a skin). Refrigerate for up to 3 days. Classic Crème Mousseline cannot be frozen, as the starch and protein bonds will break down. Also, in the process of defrosting, the Classic Crème Mousseline will weep, producing moisture, resulting in a runny, rather than stiff, consistency.

Assembly 1.1
To assemble the cake, first, cut three or four strips of wide (enough to fit under edge of cake and overlap plate edge, all the way round) parchment paper; place on top of one of the génoise layers, place a plate on top, and invert so that the flat, baked bottom of the génoise layer is on top, and the plate is on the bottom. Secondly, invert the other layer onto a parchment covered cooling rack, again with the flat, baked bottom of the génoise layer on top.

After making the classic crème mousseline filling, spread it generously over the first (cake layer on plate) flat surface, starting around the outer perimeter, going right to the edge; finally, place any crème mousseline left into the centre of the cake surface. Spread the cream evenly with a thin metal spatula, smoothing the cream in towards the centre.

Then, place the other cake layer, with the flat side uppermost, on top of the layer of crème mousseline filling. Press down to firm up the filling, to force it right out, even outside of the cake. Then, using a thin, offset metal spatula, clean up any excess filling and smooth the filling edges flat to the cake layers.

Place the filled cake in a refrigerator to firm up the classic crème mousseline filling.

Lemon curd glaze
This recipe is given by Shirl Gard on her blogsite, shirlgard.com, for a Lemon Curd Glaze. She states that the recipe is adapted from a recipe by Nick Malagieri from Peter Kump’s New York Cooking School (now the Institute of Culinary Education).

Ingredients: (enough to glaze the top of a 23cm (9in) cake or tart)
Lemon curd 100g (room temperature)
Simple syrup with pectin 50g (a 1 : 1 syrup) (see below)

Method:
If the Lemon curd is in a jar and stored in a refrigerator, bring the Lemon curd up to room temperature. This will facilitate mixing.
In a bowl (1) add the lemon curd and simple syrup with pectin, and gently stir together so as to minimise the formation of bubbles in the glaze. If not using immediately, place the bowl of glaze (2) over a saucepan (3) of hot water; this is to keep it warm and from setting up until it is used.

Assembly 1.2
Remove the filled cake from the refrigerator.

Using a thin metal offset spatula, quickly spread the glaze over the complete top surface of the cake, going right out to the edges. Smooth as much as possible. Work quickly as the glaze cools rapidly.

When finished, place the glazed Classic celebration cake back into a refrigerator, so that the pectin in the glaze may shine, as well as to set, or rise, up; the latter facilitates the cutting of smooth slices.

If the cake is to be decorated, leave it in the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes before removing and then making any decoration on the glazed surface.

Replace the finished Classic celebration in a refrigerator until it is time to eat.
Enjoy.

Should the Classic celebration cake survive one sitting, it can be placed in an airtight container, such as a cake tin, and stored for up to two days.
 
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